Phoebe Bridgers – Lost Weekend

Six years after the star-making Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers proves it was no one-off. Bursting abruptly through eerie ambience, she opens Lost Weekend with a vocoder in media res: 'Fist through the drywall / I'm frozen in place'. It's immediately clear that she's ready to widen her sonic palette, but hasn't lost her knack for capturing capital-F Feelings through concisely sculpted lyrics.

Written against the backdrop of losing her father and falling in love, Bridgers' third album plots its way between duelling emotional states, using its 16-track, 53-minute runtime to give space to each of these life-changing events. There are euphoric highs that capture the feeling of new love (Bobby; Liberty Tree) and moments of vulnerable reflection that plumb emotional depths (The Governor's Waltz; Still Standing).

The list of collaborators on the album runs deep. There are the usual suspects like Conor Oberst and Jack Antonoff, but also legendary names that you wouldn't usually find on the same album: Jim Keltner, Damien Jurado, Justin Broadrick... the list goes on. The rumoured Cameron Winter duet is just a maybe during Kill Me, but it's definitely him on the standout I Can't Wait. That song, along with Haunted, have the air of countrified Sufjan Stevens – rustic confessionals that ramble on and always leave you wanting more.

The influence of Alex G is apparent, specifically on the lowkey noodling of Panorama and the hushed, free-associative loops of the title track before its glitchy synth-filled crescendo. But more generally, Lost Weekend is reminiscent of his work in the way it coheres unexpectedly, like a patchwork quilt threaded from disparate sources made with a keen curatorial eye. The guiding hand of the artist ensures it speaks to a singular vision through talent, determination and love, despite the melting pot of different feelings and sounds. Quite simply, a triumph.

Listen to: I Can't Wait, Bobby, Haunted